A Kiss of Fate
by moonbluewolf
Summary: Cara Dawson is a normal girl...but she doesnt have a normal life. Who can when you're friends with the most powerful witches on the planet? and there might be a possible love interest with a certain whitelighter.
1. Chapter 1

A Kiss of Fate

Chapter 1: Lessons to be Learned

**"Piper! Phoebe! I'm here! Hello?" I yelled as I entered the manor. Right then, Paige walks out of the kitchen, followed by Leo. "Hey Paige. Leo. You seen Piper? She said she was gonna help me." I said, hanging my jacket on the hook. Then I met Paige by the foot of the stairs.**

**"Oh? With what?" she asked, curiously.**

**"She's training me to fight demons, since I'm always hanging out with you guys, she said she'd train me." I said. Chris came up behind Leo, and waved.**

**"Actually, she asked me to do it today. Something came up at the club, and she said she was sorry." he said. I shrugged, that was fine with me. He smiled, and offered me his hand. I took it, smiling, and he led me upstairs. We were crossing the hall, headed to the stairs that led to the attic. "So you're pretty close to the sisters, huh?" Chris asked, as we started up the stairs.**

**"Yea, we're pretty close." I replied, sighing. Chris walked over to the book and I just sat on the couch not far from the stand where it laid. "Although, their whitelighter is pretty cool, too." I said, wondering if he'd catch that. He stopped flipping pages, and looked up at me, smiling. I laughed at him. **

**"Okay, we're gonna start with-" **

**"Wait, wait, hold on." I said, giving him the time-out signal.**

**"What's the matter?" he asked, looking around like we were missing something.**

**"Shouldn't I learn how to fight them first, especially since I have no powers?" I asked. He looked down, obviously thinking about it.**

**"That's a good idea. Where should we do it? Here or the basement?" he asked, leaving it up to me.**

**"Well, in the basement, nothing can get broken, up here however..." I said, looking around the crowded attic.**

**"Good point, basement it is." he said. He smiled, and turned, going to the staircase. Sensing I wasn't right behind him, he turned around, and looked at me.**

**"Are you coming?" he asked me. I took a step forward, but stepped back to where I was. "What's the matter?" he asked, curiously. I looked down and shrugged.**

**"I don't know. I guess I'm a little nervous about fighting demons. They're really scary." I said, quietly. "I wanna fight them, I do, it's just the idea of losing scares me." I said. He looked at me for a second, then he took both of my hands into his. I looked up at him, and smiled. He smiled back at me.**

**"You can do this. Trust me, I wouldn't have offered to train you if I didn't think so." he said. I looked at him.**

**"You offered to train me?" I asked him, surprised. I hadn't seen that one coming.**

**"I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." he said. My heart sped up as he looked at me with emerald green eyes.**

**"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Paige asked us, bringing us back to the attic. Instantly, my hands were out of his and in my pockets. Chris turned to Paige, startled by her entrance.**

**"We were just about to go down to the basement. Cara's gonna learn how to fight demons without powers. After that, we'll work on spells and potions." he says, rambling nervously. I could feel my face flush. Paige looked at us, suspiciously, and shook her head. "Whatever. Look, Chris. Barbas, the demon of fear. He's out and he's coming after us again." Chris' eyes grew wide, and he looked straight at me. **

**I knew Barbas, and what he could do. Barbas could bring your worst fear to life. I didn't know what my worst fear was. But I wanted to stay and help, even though I knew they would never go for it. He scared them, but they could take care of themselves. I had no powers, and I hadn't begun my training yet. Just then, the whole house was bricked over; no windows, no doors, nowhere to go. Chris jumped in front of me like a guard, and Paige did too. I laid my hand on Chris' shoulder, and he looked at me.**

**"I'm sorry. If I'd known this was gonna happen, I would've taken you home by now. Just stay near me, and you'll be safe. Don't go anywhere alone." he warned me. I nodded, too afraid to speak. **

**"What am I gonna do? You can't guard me forever, and who knows how long he'll keep this up?" I asked him, whispering. He ground his teeth, knowing I was right. This was Barbas' game, and HE decided when to come out into the open.**

**"We should get downstairs with the others." he said. Paige and I both nodded. Chris grabbed my hand and we ran for the staircase. Piper, Phoebe, and Leo were all standing at the foot of the stairs when we got there ourselves. **

**"Does he know she's here?" Chris asked Piper. She looked at me, apologetically, and nodded. We heard a noise over by the couch in the living room, and we all jumped. Just then, I see Prue, the oldest sister who died three years ago, walking towards me. My eyes grew wide, and my heartbeat rapid, as I started backing up towards the kitchen. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, as I was backing into a wall. **

**Prue had died protecting me from a demon. Shax had been the source's assassin, and Prue had jumped in front of an energy ball that was meant for me. I lived, she didn't. I've felt guilty to this day, and apparently, Barbas knew about it. Chris jumped in front of me, and Piper came to my side, holding me up before I could melt onto the floor. They couldn't see her, I was the only one. I had always been afraid that Prue would haunt me for it, and Barbas must have sensed it.**

**"It's my fault. If I hadn't been here, she wouldn't have been killed." I said, melting in Piper's arms. She looked at me, sadly, remembering her older sister and best friend. She took my face in her hands.**

**"Sweetie, that wasn't your fault. Prue died because of Shax, he's the one who killed her. You did nothing wrong, you have nothing to apologize for" she said, kissing my forehead. I wiped my tears away, knowing this was not the time for a meltdown. I stood up, and ghost Prue had disappeared. Piper stayed near me, as did everybody else. This was just like that day, when Shax attacked. I had been powerless then, too. The demons in between hadn't been this big of a deal. Barbas always got under the sisters' skin. He attacked them last year, and they'd told me about it. Spiders for Piper, and Phoebe afraid of losing another sister. Paige had had a claustrophobic moment. **

**"We need to conquer our fears, like last time." Paige said.**

**"She's right, whatever you guys are afraid of, get rid of it; face it in your mind." said Phoebe. **

**Just then, Barbas appeared with a grin on his face.**

**"Well, looks like we have a couple of newbies in the family. This ought to be fun." he said, waving his hand in front of him, his palm facing him. He frowned, and his brows furrowed.**

**"What's the matter? Lost your touch?" I heard someone say. Everybody turned to look at me, and I realized it was me who had said it. Piper smiled, but quickly went back to a serious glare in his direction. I covered my mouth to keep anything else from slipping out. I couldn't afford any attention on me. Phoebe took a couple steps toward him, and held her arms out to the side. She had a smug smile on her face.**

**"You're not getting anything out of us this time, Barbas." she said.**

**"I suggest you leave before I show you what real fear is." Piper said, stepping up next to her sister, her fingers linked together. Snarling at the fact that he'd lost, he removed the brick layer of the house, and the sun flooded the interior of the house. Barbas disappeared, and we all breathed a sigh of relief that it was over. It hadn't lasted as long as we all thought, but it had been a very long eight hours of terror. Chris turned to me, confused, and then turned to Piper.**

**"What were you guys talking about in the beginning?" he asked us. Piper looked at me, and sighed warily.**

**"Before Paige, we had...an older sister named Prue. She's actually the oldest of the four of us. Not long before Paige came into our lives, we had this demon...Shax. He was the source's assassin, and he was after this doctor at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. We rushed to the hospital, and brought the doctor here to the manor. He didn't believe us when we said there was a demon after him." she stopped and looked down, as did me and Phoebe. Chris raised his eyebrows, still not following. "Prue got this...chill feeling and Shax..." she sighed and changed her position, "Shax attacked. He was here for the doctor, but Cara," she said, looking at me, "jumped in front of him. Shax wasn't phased by her, he knew she wasn't a witch. An energy ball formed in his hand, and Prue knew that both Cara and the doctor would die if she didn't do something. So, Prue jumped up, and Shax threw the energy ball at her instead of them. I told Cara to hide. She ran to the kitchen and hid in the pantry. Me and Leo found her there an hour later. She was scared half to death, we couldn't blame her. The doctor had been killed, as had Prue. Cara ran to her, as soon as she was calm enough to come out. She blamed herself for Prue's death." she said, sadly. Piper sniffled, and turned to me. "I didn't know you still blamed yourself. Why didn't you talk to us? We could've helped you with it." she asked me, concerned. Everyone's eyes were on me, then. I looked down, not able to look into the five pairs of eyes that were burning holes into me. **

**"I didn't wanna bother you, especially with such a painful subject for both you and Phoebe." I said, looking between her and Pheebs. "And I didn't want to hurt Paige's feelings by talking about Prue." I said.**

**"You wouldn't hurt my feelings talking about Prue, sweetie. She was your best friend." Paige said, softly. **

**"You can talk to any of us about Prue, honey. Sure, its a painful subject, but..." Phoebe stopped, and looked at Piper, then back to me "you don't have to carry this sadness by yourself, we're all feeling it, all the time. Come to us if you wanna talk. And not just about that, but about anything that's on your mind. We're here to listen." she said, smiling.**

**"We love you, Cara, like a younger sister. We consider you part of the family." Piper said. They all smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. Chris rubbed my back, and squeezed my neck gently. All this time, I hadn't noticed he'd been sitting right next to me. For some reason, I was feeling really close to him. **

**"Alright, I'm going to bed. The whole Barbas experience really took it out of me. I'll see you guys in a few hours." I said, standing up. Chris grabbed my hand softly.**

**"I'll drop you off; I'm leaving myself. I'm tired, too. Night, guys." he said, as we started for the stairs. **

**"It's 7:00 in the morning." Leo replied.**

**"Oh...then I guess I'm off for a catnap, then." Chris replied.**

**I chuckled at his remark. It served Leo right. He wasn't exactly fond of Chris, I didn't know why. Chris was here to protect Wyatt and the sisters. What more could Leo want? He was the one who walked out on Piper and his son. Was he jealous that he wasn't our whitelighter anymore? I didn't think that could be it, I hoped not. It was a lame excuse. He didn't trust Chris at all, not even in the beginning. I didn't get it.**

**"We'll begin your training when I get back, okay?" he asked, half way down the street. I nodded, too tired to talk. Even with the sun on its way up, it was still kinda dark, and cold. I walked closer to Chris, it seemed he didn't mind. We totally got along, I was glad about that. A part of me wondered if we'd end up together. I shook my head to clear the thought away. He was way out of my league, I was ordinary. Nothing special about me. He helped three witches save the world every week. He was way out of my league. I knew I'd only be lucky to end up with a guy like him.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Close to You**

"Left! Right!" Chris yelled, as I threw a punch and a kick in each direction. "Behind you!" he yelled again. I did a roundhouse kick high enough to take a demon off balance. He threw a knife, and I caught it. I flipped it in the air, the blade reflecting the dim light as it fell in my hand. I zeroed in on a crack in the wall, and threw it , the blade landing landing right in the crack. Chris walked down the stairs towards me, gazing at the knife in the wall.

"Nice shot." he said, looking at me, then back at the knife. I went to the wall and pulled the knife out. I flipped it in the air again, the blade landing in my hand again like last time. I walked back to Chris and offered it to him, my eyebrows raised and my head to the side. He took it, smiling, and hung it on the wall.

"I'm impressed." he said. He turned back towards the wall and grabbed two swords. He threw one at me, and I caught it by the handle. I twirled it in my hand a couple times and looked at the blade. "Ready to go, Xena?" he asked, teasingly. I smiled, and raised my sword to where the point was right in front of me. Che crashed his sword against mine, and twirled his sword like I had done. He brought it up and back down on mine as I blocked his attack.

"Ahh, so we're playing rough, are we?" I said, attacking him back. He stepped back and I stepped forward. He blocked my every move. For awhile, it was all we could hear, the metal of the blades crashing. I spun around and attacked him again, knocking his sword out of his hand. I kicked him in the gut, and he fell onto his back, losing his breath for a few seconds. I brought my sword to his throat, but not close to the skin.

"I'll say it again, I'm impressed." he said, breathing heavily. Then I felt my feet come out from under me, and I landed right on top of him. His back arched with my weight coming down so hard. I hadn't seen that coming. "If I'd been a demon, you'd be dead." he said, looking at me. Besides all the heavy breathing, it was quiet. I looked at him, and he looked at me. I wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.

I stood up, and backed away, offering my hand to him. He sat up and took it, groaning as he bent over, holding his back. I bent over, and brought my head down to the same level as his. He looked at me like he didn't know me. He still had my hand, and he held it for a second, but then dropped it suddenly. He brushed past me, and walked to the banister where two towels were hanging. He grabbed one and threw it to me, wiping his face with the other one. I wiped my face with mine.

"I didn't know you could sword fight, or do martial arts for that matter. Why didn't you tell me? We could've skipped this part of the training." he asked. I shrugged.

"You never asked. That, and I wanted to see if I could beat you, which I technically did. See, I should've seen that trip coming, and if I had, I would've dodged it,and I'd still have a sword to your throat." I said, tossing my towel back at him. He smirked, and came closer to me.

"But the thing is, you didn't see it coming, so you didn't dodge it, so _that _makes _me _the winner." he said, looking into my eyes. I couldn't think with him this close. Nonchalantly, I backed away and walked to the base of the stairs that led up into the kitchen.

"Uhhh, all this fighting is making me thirsty, I'm gonna...go make some tea. Would you like tea?" I asked, not looking directly at him. He sighed, and shook his head.

"Ummm...yea. You go ahead, I'm gonna clean up down here. I'll be there in a minute." he replied. I nodded and went upstairs, unable to catch my breath. I didn't know what was wrong with me lately. I could only hope that I wasn't feeling what I thought I was feeling. I shook my head, and blinked, pushing the thought away. I went to the cabinet, and looked for the tea mix. I grabbed the pitcher from another cabinet, and began making the tea, not being able to stop myself from thinking about the boy downstairs.

The tea had been finished for a while now, and I was reading the paper at the table, when I heard Chris coming up the stairs from the basement. I could feel his eyes on me when he arrived at the top. He poured himself some tea, and stood at the counter, drinking it, not coming over to the table, by me.

All of a sudden, there was a crash and a scream coming from the attic. I looked at Chris with wide eyes. He grabbed my hand, and orbed us to the attic. We orbed in just in time to see Paige fly across the room, the potion sliding out of her hand, across the floor to stop at Chris' feet. Chris picked it up, but not before the demon hit him, sending him flying into the china cabinet, causing him to drop the potion. I waved my arm and suddenly the demon was sailing through the air. I gasped at what I'd just seen, and looked down at my hand in horror. I ran over and picked up the potion, throwing it at the demon. As soon as it bounced off his chest, he screamed and disappeared in a giant flaming cloud. Chris sat up, and looked at me, as did Paige. I looked at my hand, again, horror-stricken, and turned it over, wondering what had just happened.

"How the hell did I do that?" I asked, my eyes wide.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Kiss of Fate: Chapter 3: Special Girl**

Chris approached me, slowly. I was still staring at my hand, wondering if I'd just thrown a demon across a room...without touching him. Chris stepped onto a creaky floorboard, which made me jump. I turned to him, my arm still raised, and he went crashing through the window. I gasped and covered my mouth with both hands, my eyes wide. I ran to the window and looked down, but didn't see him. I heard something behind me, and turned around to see him looking at me.

"Oh my god, Chris, I'm so sorry!" I whispered. I could hear the panic in my voice, and my heart was racing with the thought that I just might have a real power. It would be cool, if it weren't so scary...and I'd known about it. He laid a hand on my shoulder, softly, and looked into my eyes.

"It's okay, I'm fine." he said, calmly. The tears in my eyes made my vision blurry.

"What's happening to me? I've never had a power before! What if I hurt someone? I've already thrown Chris out of a window, what if I throw someone in front of a bus?" I panicked. Paige came over and took my hand, leading me to the couch.

"Breathe, honey, just breathe. You're okay and we're gonna figure this out. I promise. Piper, Phoebe!" she yelled. She turned back to me and rubbed my back with her free hand. Chris had knelt down in front of me, and was clutching my leg, his face concerned. He was also trying to calm me down by telling me to breathe. Minutes later, Piper and Phoebe came running into the attic, full alert. They looked at me, then the other two around me.

"What happened? Are you guys okay?" asked Piper, with concern.

"Umm, physically, yea. Not so much mentally or emotionally." Paige replied, looking down at me.

"Why? What happened?" Piper repeated, also looking at me. Since I couldn't talk at the moment, I decided to show her. I stood up, and pushed Chris behind me. I waved my arm at the book stand, and it flew, crashing into the far wall.

"Ohhh..." said Piper, looking at Phoebe, then to me. Her eyes grew wide for a second, and she sat me down on the couch. She knelt in front of me, like Chris had done, and Phoebe sat next to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked me calmly. I nodded, then shook my head. I could feel the tears coming back. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, eyes of concern, of sorrow, and of pity.

"Maybe we should call Leo, he might know something about this kind of thing." Phoebe said. Piper nodded, and got up, not wanting to yell in my ear.

"LEO!" she called, looking at the ceiling. Bright blue and white lights floated, and Leo appeared.

"Hey, what-" he stopped, and looked at me, his brows furrowing.

"What happened?" he asked. He looked at Piper, who motioned for him to follow her. They went out into the hallway. Paige sat down where Piper had been, and Chris knelt down like before. A few tears escaped my eyes, and they wiped them away. Phoebe pressed my head to her shoulder, and laid her head on top.

"It's gonna be okay, I promise." she whispered. I nodded. "We'll figure this out." she said. She rocked me back and forth.

"Paige, come here a sec." Piper called from the hall. Paige got up and left, Chris taking her place next to me. He laid his hand on my leg, and I covered it with my own. I grinned at him, and he grinned back, sweetly. There was still concern in his eyes. Leo came back in, Piper and Paige following him.

"Cara, I have something to tell you, something you're probably not going to like." he said, casting a side glance to Piper, then looking at Chris, who was standing right behind me.

"Cara, your mother, she had been a witch. She used to have a coven of her own, and she'd hold 'meetings' at your house every Tuesday. Do you remember any of that?" he asked me. Not sure if my voice would break, I nodded. He continued.

"She had telepathy, the power to move things with her mind; same as you. I gather that's where you got it from. She never told you or your father about it, because she'd wanted to protect you both from the horror of it all. You...must have inherited that power from her, and I'm thinking it was awakened when she died. I'm also thinking that when she was alive, she'd bound your power so you wouldn't have to deal with it, or be afraid of it. When she died, the spell must have...dissipated. Their grandmother," he said, looking at the sisters, "also bound their powers so they wouldn't have to deal with them as kids. And the binding spell was broken when she died. They inherited their powers when Phoebe came back from New York." Leo said. I felt disgusted, at my mother and her secrets, at Leo from hiding all of this from me. How could he keep me from knowing about my own power? If I had known, I would've been able to help with all the demons, like Barbas two weeks ago. All this time, I had had a power and didn't even know it. I shook my head, glaring at Leo.

"You've known about this? Wow, Leo, anything else I should know? How could you keep any of this from me? This is my power we're talking about! All this time, I'd thought I'd been helpless, and felt bad that you guys have had to protect me, and then YOU come in here, and say 'Oh by the way, you have a power and your mother was a witch!' How could you Leo? Did I not deserve to know?" I screamed at him. The tears blurred my vision again, and Piper came up behind me, laying her hand on my shoulder.

"I thought, maybe, just maybe, that I was worth more than _I _even thought. But I had no idea, about ANY of this!" I screamed. I glared at him, and shook my head. He looked down, content with what I was saying.

"What? Nothing else to say? Say, Leo, am I adopted, do I have parents running around out there somewhere, and you're just not saying it?" I cried. The tears spilled over, and my breath became shaky. I ran out of the room, unable to hold it in any longer than I had already. On my way out, I heard Chris.

"Are you happy now? Nice work, Leo."

I didn't want to leave, simply because I didn't want to be alone. I walked into the living room and sat on the couch, laying my head in my hands. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and into the room.

"Go away, Leo." I spat.

"It's me." Chris said. I looked up, and he grinned at me, sympathetically. He moved closer and sat next to me, as I wiped the tears away.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." I said, sniffling. He shook his head, looking at me, sadly.

"Don't be; you have every right to be angry. What he did..." he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry about all of this. You're right, he should've told you." he said, nodding.

I laid my head on his shoulder, and he turned towards me, pulling me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him, closing my eyes. Within moments, I was fine, I felt better.

She clung to me, but I was fine with it. I realized she meant more to me than I thought. I wanted to be there for her. I wanted to _be_ with her. I realized I've felt this way for awhile now. I wrapped my arms tighter around her, wanting to protect her from anything and everything.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Kiss of Fate: Chapter 4: I'll Be There For You**

"Hey, sweetie, how's it going?" Piper asked me, as I, excitedly, walked into the solarium.

"I'm great today! Awesome!" I exclaimed. I walked up and hugged her.

"Are you on drugs? Have you been drinking?" she asked me, nervously.

"No, of course not! The sun is out and...I've got a date!" I said, chuckling at her.

"Congratulations. With who?" she asked, closing the book. I hadn't noticed Chris was in the book. He walked up from behind me, startling me.

"Alright, Piper, I've gotta get back. Leo said he wanted me to meet him at P3 to talk about something." he said, walking past me.

"Chris, did I mention I have a date, tonight?" I asked him, smiling, walking fast to catch up with him.

"Once or twice. Congrats. Gotta go. See ya." he said, walking out the door. I was confused at his reaction, but quickly grew excited when I thought about my date. I walked back to the solarium and Piper was now thumbing through the book.

"Piper, how come Chris didn't seem excited or happy for me? I mean, he's practically my best friend/brother, I would've thought he'd be happy for me." I told her. She looked up at me.

"Chris just has a lot on his mind, you know with protecting Wyatt, and his issues with Leo." she said. I nodded, remembering how Chris told Leo he was never there for Chris.

"_You were there for everyone else: Mom, Wyatt, half the world, but you were never there for me. You didn't have the time." _he had said. It had hurt me to see him in such pain. I had found him later at P3 and his eyes had been red, my guess was from crying.

"What are you doing?" I asked Piper, walking over to where she was sitting, reading the Book of Shadows.

"Researching the demons on this list that we haven't seen yet, ones that could potentially be THE demon that's after Wyatt." she said, sighing. I sat down next to her and also looked into the book. She was currently looking at the Banshee, a demon they had fought three years ago.

"I don't think you have to worry about banshees, Piper, you haven't seen one since Prue was a dog, remember?" I asked her, nudging her with my knee. She grinned, and I could tell she was thinking about her older sister.

Later that evening, half an hour before my date, I was trying to pick between two dresses, but I was stuck. I heard voices in the hallway, and came out to see what was going on. Chris was walking, tiredly, to the attic stairway.

"Chris, what's going on? Another demon hunt?" I asked him, teasingly. He turned around, and he didn't look very happy, which I took for a yes. I took his hand, softly, and led him into my room. "I need your help for a quick second." I said, hopeful.

"Is it a demon problem? Did you get attacked today?" he asked, his voice rising.

"No, no, I'm fine. It's not a demon problem." I said, closing the door, chuckling at how easily he got worked up over demons. I took the two dresses I liked, and propped them up so he could see. He sighed, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"The red one," I said, holding, up a red satin dress, "or this one", raising a black strapless dress, with rhinestones scattered across the front. His brows furrowed, he shifter his weight again.

"Why are you asking me?" he asked me, confused.

"Oh come on, Chris, which one looks better?" I asked holding one to me, then the other.

Truthfully, she'd look beautiful in either, but I couldn't tell her that, without raising suspicion.

"They both look great, really." I said, headed to the door. I couldn't stay here, and pretend I was fine. As I closed the door behind me, I thought of how much I hated the idea that she was dating someone, but then I knew part of that was my fault. I wasn't sure of how she'd react to me liking her that certain way. I didn't even know how I was gonna tell her, or when for that matter. I just don't know. I ground my teeth together, heading for the attic.

As Chris walked out the door, I was confused at what was going on with him lately. Then I thought back to what Piper had said earlier this afternoon.

"_He's just got a lot on his mind, with protecting Wyatt, and his issues with Leo." _she had said to me, which made perfect sense to me. The poor guy was going through a lot right now. He probably needed someone to talk to.

I finally picked the red halter dress, and went up the stairs to the attic. Chris was still up here, with a disturbed and focused look on his face. I knocked on the door, and cocked my head to the side when he looked up.

"Knock, knock" I said. He looked back down at the book, and flipped another page. I walked over to the couch and sat down, gazing at him. He finally looked up, and saw me staring.

"What?" he asked, curiously. I looked away, deciding it was probably better to avoid it.

"Nothing," I said, casting a downward glance to the floor. He moved away from the book, and came to sit by me. Great, I thought, now he's peeked.

"What's up? You've been acting weird around me since I got back from the club. Tell me." he said. I turned my head to the side, and looked at him, my eyes narrowed and a small grin on my face.

"Piper told me. I know what you're thinking about." I said, laying my hand on top of his. His eyes grew wide.

"She did?" he asked, his eyes going back to normal.

My hands grew sweaty as the girl I liked told me she knew my secret. How could Mom do this? I was gonna tell her, I didn't want her to do it. But again, that was partly my fault. If I'd wanted to tell her so badly, I should've.

"Look, I'm fine. Really, I'm okay, or at least I will be." I told her.

"Chris, what you're going through is normal for someone in your situation. Coming back to protect your brother from all this evil, and then to have to worry about him turning evil. Talk about pressure. And then the whole mess with Leo, I'm sure it's hard. But you'll get through it, okay. I know it...Oh, and I heard about Piper. Don't blame Victor, it was an accident. It slipped out, and I could see he said something he shouldn't have." she said. I looked at her, confused. I thought she knew how I felt, I had no idea she was talking about my other problems. And then Gramps tells her about how Mom dies when I turn fourteen. I flinched at the thought of having to go back where she isn't. She saw it, and took both of my hands into hers.

"Chris, it'll all be okay. Get close to Piper while you can. You won't regret it, I promise." I said, holding both of his hands in mine. I laid my hand on his shoulder, and he smiled at me. I smiled back, sympathetically. I moved to hug him, and he didn't seem to mind. He snaked his arms around my waist, holding me tightly. I rubbed his shoulders, and I could feel the tension in his body. Poor guy, I thought, he's going through so much.

"I'll be here if you wanna talk, you know. If you need me, I'm always here, you know that, right?" I asked, still in his arms.

"Yea, yea I know." he said, softly. I leaned back, and he let go.

"I gotta go. I have a date to get ready for." I said, smiling, not really all that excited. A part of me wanted to stay, to be here for Chris. How could I go out and have fun, when I knew he was back here with so much on his mind?

"By the way, you'll look beautiful no matter which dress you wear. Have a great time tonight." he said, smiling. I smiled back.

"Thank you." I said, then I walked back to my room.

I finally got back to the manor around nine pm. The date had been fun; we talked mostly, then when we left the restaurant, we walked on the beach a little bit. I couldn't help but feel guilty that I'd left Chris, when I knew that he may have needed me.

When I walked in the front door, Phoebe was flying through the air and I heard her crash through the railing going up the stairs. I threw my stuff down, and ran into the sitting room, just in time to see a demon turn towards Paige behind him. I waved my arm, and he went flying into the grandfather clock standing against the wall. The demon groaned in pain, and sat up, an energy ball in his hand. He threw it at me, and I deflected it, the energy ball bouncing off my hand and back on him, destroying him in the process.

I wasn't used to my new power yet, but I was getting there. Especially now that I could control it. Phoebe was still upstairs, laying on the stairs. She looked at me, like she wondered where I'd come from. I ran up there, kneeling beside her. She was alive, but her pants were stained with the blood from her wound.

"Nice work, you looked really confident down there, and you're getting the hang of your power. You seem to really be in control. Good for you." Phoebe said, grinning.

"Thank you. LEO!" I yelled. Leo orbed in downstairs, and looked around. He saw us on the stairs, racing up as soon as he did.

"What happened?" he asked, leaning over her, his hands over her wound.

"A demon attacked us, but Cara stopped her, using her new power. She's as in control as Prue had been with hers." Phoebe said, proudly. I smiled at the compliment; it meant a lot to be compared to the oldest sister and strongest of the Charmed Ones. Chris orbed in, and looked around like he was lost. I whistled, and he came up to us.

"What happened?" he asked. Phoebe watched as Leo healed her, the glowing light going down after a minute as he finished.

"The usual: we're talking and a random ass demon drops in and attacks us. Its just a good thing Cara came in when she did." she said, bragging again. Chris looked at me, his eyebrows raised. I rolled my eyes, and shook my head.

"It was no big deal, all I did was deflect his power back at him." I said, shrugging.

Chris smiled, impressed, as did Leo.

"Nice work, Cara. You seem to be in control of your new power." Chris said, repeating what Phoebe said earlier. I threw my hands up in the air, giving up. It was obviously a bigger deal than I thought. I stood and walked down the stairs, warily. Chris sat next to me, and Phoebe on the other side. Paige in the chair over in the corner, and Leo standing.

"How was your date?" Chris asked me, sighing. I shrugged.

"It was fun." I said, not all that excited.

"And you sound so happy about it. Is the guy really that boring?" he asked me, one brow raised. I looked at him, wondering why he was so interested.

"Well, first dates can be awkward, especially when the guy's head is somewhere. I mean when he asked me out, he was actually kinda charming. But this guy is like a shirt you see in a store. At the store, it looks pretty cool, worth buying. But once you get it home, you realize you liked it better on the rack." I said.

"At the store?" Chris asked. I nodded, stifling a laugh. I looked at him, and he was trying not laugh either. Phoebe turned her head, and her body started to shake. I looked at her, confused.

"Phoebe, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to see her face. She looked back at me, and she was laughing. I shook my head.

"Alright, you crazy people, I'm headed home." I said, standing. I turned towards the door, when I felt someone grab my hand. I turned and Chris stood up, a serious look on his face.

"Phoebe, don't you guys have an extra bedroom here? Or, there's an extra room at P3 that has a bed in it. Come back with me, we'll talk. That way, you're not all alone in that big house of yours." he said. I looked at him, smiling, confused at why he cared all of a sudden. Maybe he'd let me in, talk to me. I looked at Phoebe, Leo, and Paige. Phoebe's jaw was dropped, as was Paige's. Leo looked from Chris to me, his eyebrows raised.

"Sure, yea, I'd like that." I said, my smile getting bigger. He smiled back at me, and turned to them.

"Night guys, see you guys tomorrow." he said, taking my hand into his. They were all too stunned to say anything, so they waved. Chris smiled at their reactions and we orbed out.

We orbed into P3, and it was dead silent. When there was no people or music playing, the place looked abandoned. Chris still had my hand and he pulled me into the room he's been staying in. He motioned for me to sit on the bed. I chuckled, and sat on the edge. He sat down next to me, and looked at me.

"Tell me about..." he said, curiously. I laughed that he couldn't remember the guy's name.

"Alex?" I finished for him. He nodded, smiling.

"Well, he works at the local law firm, Baker and McKenzie, but he's not much of a lawyer. He's like a tax consultant, or something. He's smart, funny, charming. He has black hair and green eyes." I said, yawning.

"Are you tired?" he asked, grinning. I looked at him, my eyes narrowed.

"No, just a yawn." I replied, looking down, then back up at him.

"You want something to drink? We are at the club" he said, standing up, and offering me his hand. I laughed, and took his hand, his hand warm as it touched mine.

"What would you like?" he asked as we walked out of the room, and he jumped over the counter, bringing out cups and drinks.

"Ummm, won't Piper be angry?" I asked him, still laughing. He shrugged, and smiled. I chuckled, this was actually more fun than I thought. Chris was very easy to be around, he was funny, young, and...charming. He wasn't the same guy who fought demons, and had the stern look in his eyes. His eyes were soft, like an emerald green, and they sparkled.

We stayed up for hours talking about nothing and everything. It was two am when I'd finally had enough. I yawned, and Chris noticed.

"You're exhausted, maybe we should turn in." he said, leaning across the counter. I nodded, and jumped off the stool I'd been sitting on. Chris jumped over the bar again, and saw how tired I was. I must've been really tired, cause he took my hand and elbow, gently, and helped me into bed. He tucked me in, and I didn't think I'd ever felt safer than that moment. He said goodnight, and I'm pretty sure I said it back before the darkness washed over me.


	5. Chapter 5

**A Kiss of Fate: Chapter 5: I'm Your Angel**

"I can't believe you can date a human for two whole months, and him know everything about you, but one little thing." Piper said, her tone jealous. I chuckled.

"That's only because I don't have to come vanquish a demon every five minutes, which means that me and Alex get to spend time together." I said. Piper hit me with the magazine she was looking at, and I laughed. Chris orbed in then, and saw us in the solarium.

"What's going on here?" he asked, the sisters all looking at him like he was crazy.

"It's not obvious?" Paige asked him. He walked over to the book, and flipped through the pages, then he flipped one back. Curiously, I walked over to see what demon was the lucky contestant this time. Apparently, it was a lower level demon, simple vanquish by a few words by the Charmed Ones. Paige sighed.

"What do you have us vanquishing this time?" she asked, smirking. He smirked back, coming to sit next to me on the sofa. He changed the subject, looking at me.

"I heard it's your and Alex's two-month anniversary tonight, congrats." he said, not very excited as usual. I guess that was just a guy thing, to not be excited about a friend's anniversary if its not theirs.

"Thanks." I said anyways. I looked at my watch, and stood up. "I better get ready if I wanna make it to Alex's place on time. The last thing I wanna do is show up late on our anniversary dinner." I said, shrugging. I don't know how I was still seeing this guy. The relationship wasn't going anywhere, why haven't I ended it yet?

"Have fun." Piper screamed. She also had a date tonight, with Greg the fireman. Chris didn't like him at all. He was afraid he'd turn into half fireman instead of half whitelighter. He's been trying to get them back together for about a month now, and now both Paige and Phoebe know his secret. I already knew, he wasn't afraid to talk to me. He wasn't nervous about me looking for a second meaning in everything he said, like the sisters did. They were suspicious of him from the moment he showed up, back when they fought the Titans.

"Cara" Chris called, running to catch up. I stopped and turned around to look at him. "Maybe you shouldn't go tonight, I just have a bad feeling, that's all, I don't want you to get hurt." he said. I liked it when Chris was looking out for me, I felt like he really cared about my safety. I rubbed his arm, gratefully.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll go straight to the club when I'm done. And you'll find me there when you get there, probably asleep." I said, not expecting any more than dinner tonight. I walked upstairs to get ready, and I could feel Chris' eyes on me as I raced up the stairs. When I was finished, I came downstairs and Chris was the first one to see me.

"Wow, you look...amazing." he said, looking me up and down.

"Thank you. You don't think this dress looks tacky?" I asked, concerned. He shook his head, smiling.

"No way, you look beautiful. Have a nice time tonight. He'll never know what hit him in that." he said, twirling me around like we were on a dance floor. I laughed. He was in a good mood, but why mess with a good thing? I said goodbye and walked out the door to my car.

I got to Alex's apartment about half an hour later; he lived on the other side of the city. I fixed my hair, and applied fresh lip gloss, ready for my anniversary dinner.

I walked up the stairs, and I could already hear music playing. I smiled and shook my head. I opened the door with the key under the mat, and my heart blew into a million pieces. Alex, the man I've been seeing for two months, was in bed with another woman. He looked up, and the smile that had been there a second ago, was gone now, a horrified look taking its place. I slammed the door, and my heart was racing at the sight of what I'd just seen. What do I do now, I thought. Tears blurred my vision as I ran back to my car, not wanting to ever see Alex's face again. I couldn't think on my way down the highway. I didn't want to go back to the manor, he would surely find me there. There was only one other place I felt safe, and I could hope that my best friend would be there.

Finally, I pulled into the P3 parking lot, my tears spilling over a bit. I wiped them away, knowing they'd be back the second I saw Chris. I got out of the car, slamming the door, and walked up to the door. Thank god, Chris was here, he always left it unlocked if I was out late with Alex. I walked in and down the stairs that led into the club. Chris was sitting at the bar, his back to me. He turned around and saw me standing there. His eyes grew wide as he looked me over. He ran over to me, and I threw my arms around him, my tears returning like I'd thought they would. Chris held me for a second, then led me to the couch over in the outcove, where the sisters sat if they wanted privacy. He sat next to me, and pulled me back into his arms, and let me cry. He leaned back, pushing the hair out of my face, his face full of worry and concern.

"What happened?" he asked. I sniffled, and looked at him.

"When I got there," I started, sniffling again, "i heard music playing, but when I walked in..." I said, trying to catch my breath, "there was another woman, and...he was in bed with her." I said, more tears blurring my vision. He sighed, angrily, and pulled me back into the comfort of his arms. I felt better after awhile. Chris brought me a Dr. Pepper, and a blanket off of his bed. He threw the blanket around me, and sat back down.

"Thanks." I said, still sniffling. He looked at me, his face still etched in concern.

"Where did you go after you left?" he asked, taking a drink of his own.

"I came straight here. I knew if I went to the manor, he'd follow me there." I said, looking at him, realizing he also knew where this club was, and that Chris stayed here.

"I gotta go, somewhere he won't find me. I don't want to see him, and if he comes here, you'll be in trouble. He's crazy, the jealous type. I can't let him think you're involved." Chris was shaking his head the whole time I was talking.

"You're not going anywhere, especially not alone. Look, if this guy is crazy, dangerously crazy, then there's no way I'm letting you out of my sight." he said, taking both of my hands into his. "Look, when he gets here, I'll be here by your side. You're going to be alright, I'm here. Whitelighters are guardian angels, remember? Just think of me as your angel" he said, pulling me into his arms. "I'm your angel."he said, trying to calm me down. Just then, I heard the door open and slam shut. Alex appeared around the corner, an icy glare on his face. I looked at him with wide eyes, as Chris pulled me behind him. He glared at Alex with hatred in his eyes. Alex walked down the rest of the steps, and ended up in Chris' face.

"I want Cara! You get out of my way, you freak!" he spat in Chris' face. Alex raised his hand, as if he were going to hit Chris. I pushed him out of the way, and all I could feel afterwards was the sting as his hand connected with my face. Feeling dazed, I fell to my knees, for a second not remembering where I was.

"Hey!" Chris yelled, as he hit Alex with a baseball bat. Alex moaned in pain, and fell onto the floor, not moving at all. I looked at him, expecting him to get up, but he didn't. Chris's hands were grabbing me then, pulling me up. He sat me back down on the couch, and went to the counter, grabbing the phone and a wet, cold rag. He gently pressed the rag to my cheek where Alex had slapped me.

"Hello? We need an ambulance and the police at P3 Nightclub! Hurry, please!" he said, exasperated. He slammed the phone back onto the cradle, and sat down next to me, taking the rag out my hand. He pressed it lightly to my face, and then removed it and replaced it there. He repeated the process several times, until we both heard sirens outside. Me and him both ran up the stairs, and out the door, just in time to see Darryl Morris, a family friend, come running up to us.

"Hey, are you guys alright? What happened?" he asked, breathing heavy.

"A man attacked us, he's alive, but unconscious. I tied him up before I called you." Chris replied, holding me up. Darryl looked at me, his eyes growing wide.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" he asked me. "Did he hurt either of you?" he asked. Chris nodded, and pointed at the side of my face. Darryl turned my face to where he could see, and he grimaced. "Okay, you guys come with me." he said, headed back into the club. "Have you called the sisters yet, or just us?" he asked, looking at Chris.

"Just you, I was gonna call them, but I tended to her face first. You got here before I could call them." Chris replied.

"Good, call them, and..." he said, his gaze shifting to me, "put her into bed. She's been through a lot tonight, and she's exhausted." he said. Chris looked at me, and suddenly everything went dark. The last thing I felt was Chris' arms around me as he caught me.

I laid her down in my bed, covering her up as best I could. What I would do to that bastard if I had the chance, I thought, grounding my teeth together. To make him suffer for everything he's put her through tonight, it wouldn't be enough. I watched for another second, and then left, shutting the door quietly behind me. Darryl was right, she's been through enough.

By the time the police took Alex away, in cuffs and an ambulance, it was almost four in the morning. I called Piper, and she came, along with Phoebe and Paige, as soon as they could. They couldn't have orbed with all the police here, so they'd had to drive Piper's Jeep. They all checked on both her and me when they got here. I was tired, but okay. We stayed by her side, until the sisters left. They went back to the manor, and told me to stay with her, and not to leave her alone for a second. Even though I had already assigned myself to her, I nodded to them, promising them I would be there for her.

The four of us found out that 'Alex' hadn't been his name. His real name was Darek Monroe, and he was wanted in four other states for murdering three of his ex-girlfriends, and that Cara would've been number four, had she'd been alone. I grew more and more heartbroken at what this girl, my girl, has been through these past few months, this being the worst of it.

Cara finally awoke at 10:15 am; she'd been asleep since midnight. I had been watching over her, protectively, all night long. I watched her sleep, and she had never been more beautiful. Even with everything that had happened, she looked so peaceful when she slept. I must've fallen asleep bedside; I awoke to her shaking me. I sat up, fully alert, but calmed down when I saw her awake. I pulled her into my arms, wrapping her up tightly.

I awoke to the sound of the air conditioner kicking on, and looked around. Chris was, of course, by my side, asleep. He had obviously been here all night, or at least most of it. I took his wrist and shook it. "Chris...Chris, wake up...Chris." I said, and he sat up, fully alert, but calming down quickly when he looked at me. He pulled me into his arms then, wrapping me up tightly. I felt so safe, and I even felt happy to have him hold me this way. I wrapped my own arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder, closing my eyes. He let go, and leaned back, looking into my eyes, and at the side of my face. He sighed, looking into my eyes, sympathetically.

"Cara, I'm so sorry about all of this. What he did to you.." he said, but I put my finger to his lips.

"This wasn't your fault, I'm glad I came to you. You helped me through it. I never would've been able to sleep had I been at the manor; I wouldn't have felt as safe as I did here with you." I said, looking him deep in the eyes. He leaned forward, and his warm breath tingled my nose. His lips touched mine so softly, so gently. I pulled back, smiling warmly, and looked at him, apologetically.

"Chris, I'm sorry." I whispering. I put my finger on his lips again, and looked him in the eyes. He nodded, understanding.

"Cara, you may have already noticed, but I like you. I really like you, and I wanna...I wanna be with you." he said, taking my hand into his, his thumb rubbing the top of my hand. I closed my eyes, and absorbed what he'd said. I sighed. "I promise to protect you, and to take care of you." he said, smiling.

I shook my head. "I, I'm not sure what to say to that," she said. I laid my hand on his shoulder, and I felt a tear escape. He smiled at me, sweetly.

"Take as long as you need. I'll be waiting," he responded.


	6. Chapter 6

**A Kiss of Fate: Chapter 6: The Closer I Get to You**

A red sequin tube top, black mini skirt, and a pair of leather boots laid on my bed. It was perfect, I bought these a few weeks ago, and never got the chance to wear them. _Perfect, Chris will love it, _I thought to myself. I threw everything on, then slipped on my jewelry. When I came downstairs, Piper was coming out of the kitchen, and I stopped her before she could run me over. She looked up at me, her eyes wide.

"Wow, Chris will drool when he sees you, you're hot!" she said, looking me up and down. Just then, Chris came out of the kitchen, and his eyebrows rising when he sees me. "Wow, you look amazing! I guess you're ready to go," he said, walking in a circle around me, impressed at what he was seeing.

"Thank you, I was hoping you'd like it! Now that you've seen what I have in store for you, its your turn to impress me," I said, sliding my hand up his chest, pressing myself against him. He laughed and shook his head. He leaned in to kiss me.

"Okay, you two need to get a room, I really don't need to see any of this," Piper said, forcing Chris to step back. He looked at Piper, and smiled, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry, Mom," he responded. She walked to the livingroom, leaving me and Chris standing there. He looked at me and smiled. I smiled back, and went up to him. He leaned in to kiss me, our lips connecting just for a minute. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I looked up at him, holding onto my wrist at the back of his neck.

"So, do you want me to help you get ready for tonight? We're leaving as soon as the other two get here with their dates. Piper has the nanny watching Wyatt," I told him, so Piper wouldn't hear us. He chuckled, and shook his head.

"No, I wanna surprise you, like you did me," he said, looking me in the eye.

"Then you better get moving, whitelighter," I said, flirtingly. I ran my finger down his chest, and he closed his eyes. I laughed at him, knowing what it did to him. He took his arms back, and brushed past me, going into the living room to say bye to his mother.

"I gotta go to P3 and get ready. I'll see you there, okay?" he said to Piper. He turned back to me. "And you, I'll come get you when I'm done," he said, his hands on my hips. He kissed me, sweetly, and orbed out in little blue and white lights. I walked into the living room, where Piper was sitting looking through papers, and fell down onto the couch.

"You guys are killing me with cuteness, you know," she told me, not looking up from what she was doing. I looked at her, smirking, and then the front door opened.

"Hey, Piper. Cara," Paige said, as she and Richard walked into the room.

"Paige, hey Richard, how you been?" Piper asked, before I could get the chance. I glanced at Piper, and she looked at me, smiling, like she was trying to laugh out loud. I rolled my eyes, and looked at Paige. She was wearing a black tanktop and dark blue jeans that were faded on the thighs, and black boots. She wore a bracelet on one wrist, a watch on the other, and a necklace of black pearls. They sat down in the living room with us, and about forty-five minutes later, Chris orbed back in wearing an South Pole long sleeved buttoned down shirt with a celtic wing design, black Levis Baggy-Fit jeans, black Skecher's Oxford shoes, an analog black dial watch, and a tribal phoenix necklace. He looked handsome, I'd never seen him dressed up before. I ran up to him, smiling widely. His clothing options really brought out his green eyes.

"You look amazing, I love your shirt," I said, running my hand over the fabric that made the wings. He really was trying to impress me, I could tell by how long it had taken him to get ready.

"Thank you. I know it took me forever; I couldn't find anything I thought would impress you, until I saw this. This is actually the first time I've ever worn this shirt, I haven't been able to find it," he responded, looking himself over, probably making sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He took my hand, and led me to where nobody could see us. I stood up higher to kiss him.

"Hey, you two, none of that," Piper said, walking past us to the kitchen.

"Sorry Piper," I said to her, chuckling afterwards. I looked at him, and shrugged. He took my hand, linking his fingers through mine, and we followed Piper into the kitchen. He sat at the table and I walked to the island where Piper was.

"Piper, why don't you go get ready? You wanted to leave at 6:30 this evening, and it's 6 now," I said, glancing at my watch.

"Hey, I'll go get ready once I finish this," she responded, annoyed. I sighed and sat at the table, picking up a magazine and flipping through it. _Piper and her knitting,_ I thought to myself. The last time I saw Piper knit something was when she made a teddy bear for a baby shower, which she didn't go to.

Phoebe came walking in then, with her beau and boss at the newspaper, right behind her. She was wearing a red, satin dress with small ruffles down the skirt, and red chic-14 shoes. She had a bracelet up one arm, and an 18K White Gold necklace around her neck. She looked at Piper, and slammed her hands onto the counter, startling Piper.

"You're not ready, yet?" she asked Piper, who was already annoyed. Chris and I snorted a laugh back at the table, and they looked at us, our faces no longer amused.

"Oh for goodness' sake, people, I'm going! I'm going!" she cried, holding her arms up in defeat.

About fifteen minutes later, Piper walked in the kitchen wearing a black dress and heels. She looked at us.

"Ya happy now?" she asked, fixing her watch. She joined in the conversation that Paige, Richard, Phoebe, and Jason were having. Chris grabbed my hand, and motioned to be quiet and to follow him. I smiled and gladly accepted. We ran out of the kitchen, and Chris pulled me into the solarium. He pulled me against him, and we orbed out, landing at the club. The band was setting up, so me and Chris went into his room, and settled onto the bed.

"What are we doing here now?" I asked him, curiously. He kissed me sweetly then, his lips tingling with desire as they gently crushed mine. He leaned back, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe.

"I have something I need to tell you, something I haven't told you just yet," he told me. I wasn't sure how I felt about this, but I kept my smile on my face.

"I'm in love with you, Cara. I have been for a while now, I just didn't know how to tell you," he said, happily. I tried to say something, but he put his hand on my lips to stop me. "Let me finish. I don't know what I'd do without you, you're all I think about," he continued. I smiled, and looked into his eyes. Then I gave him a short kiss.

"I...You've caught me off guard again. Chris, what we have...between us...it's everything I've ever wanted...but," I said, both of us flinching at the negative word, "I can't do this," I said, not wanting him to see the tears of guilt that came into my eyes. I turned around to face him, still sitting on the bed. "The last time I had a boyfriend who said he loved me, the last time I saw him, he was with another woman. And then he came after me and tried to kill me. I swore to myself that I would...," not able to get the rest out. He rose off the bed, and pulled me into his arms, understanding where I was coming from. He held me so tightly, my arms couldn't go past his chest, so I just grabbed his shirt. I looked up at him, the tears flowing from my eyes. He took one hand, and wiped it away, softly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. He shook his head, and pushed my head to his shoulder, keeping his hand there.

"Don't be sorry. I wasn't expecting an answer from you tonight. I just wanted you to know how I felt about you. Take as long as you need, I'll always be here," he said.

It was 6:45. The sisters would be on their way right about now. Just then, music started playing. I wiped the tears away, Chris watching me. I chuckled.

"Do I look horrible now?" I asked him, smiling.

"Never to me," he replied. "Are we okay?" he asked, his eyebrows raising out of concern.

"We're better than okay, I still care about you, you know _that,_ right?" I asked him. He nodded, and took my hand, leading me out to the club. The bouncer was letting people in, and the sisters were just now getting here as well, coming in through the back.

"Hey, you guys snuck out on us, we looked for you both for ten minutes," Phoebe said, seeing us come out of Chris' room.

"Sorry," we said in unison. She rolled her eyes and we followed her to our usual spot in the club. Piper, the only one without a date, was getting the group's drinks and making her own in the process. I ordered my usual, and looked around at how crowded the club was already. The Goo Goo Dolls were playing, _one of the best bands ever_, I thought, _I love the Goo Goo Dolls._ Their song, Iris, came on, and Chris grabbed my hand, leading me out onto the dance floor. His hands connected at my back and my arms around his neck. I came up closer, and laid my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. I could feel how much Chris cared by the way he held me close, not wanting to let go of me. They played a song I thought Lifehouse sang, called Take Me Away.

"I love this song," I said, offering him my hand. He smiled, accepting it, and wrapping his arms around my waist, but this time looking into my eyes so intensely, I thought he was trying to look into my soul. The lyrics rang in my head clear as a bell:

"_this time all I want is you_

_there is noone else_

_who can take your place_

_I've seen enough and its never enough_

_it keeps leaving me needing you"_

After the song ended, me and Chris were exhausted as we walked back to the couch. I slipped my shoes off my feet, slowly enough to feel every bruise it was going to leave. According to Paige, we had danced to about four songs in a row. By the time the fun was over, my feet were pretty much broken after all the dancing I now regretted doing. I limped into bed, and Chris sat next to me, talking to me as I changed into my sleepwear. When I was finally comfortable, I sat next to him, pulling the covers over my legs. I yawned, and he stood, starting towards his own room.

"Oh! Chris, hold on, I have a favor I need to ask you," I said. He turned around, and a hint of concern on his face. He came and sat down next to me on the bed. I took his hand, and held it for a minute before starting.

"Chris, I...Darryl called me this morning," I said. Chris' eyebrows raised, and took a deep breath.

"What did he say?" Chris asked me, not looking into my eyes.

I looked down.

"Alex is having his hearing tomorrow, and Darryl said I have to be there considering I'm his most recent victim," I responded, not sure what his reaction would be. "And I, I didn't want to go alone," I said, "and I was wondering-"

"I'll go with you," he finished for me. "I don't want you to go alone either," he said. I breathed a sigh of relief. "What time are we supposed to be there?" he asked.

"9 am. We'll have to leave here around 8:30," I said.

"Thank you," I said, smiling. He grinned at me, and then he kissed my forehead. He tucked me in, and went to his own room.

The next morning, we got up and got ready. We arrived at the courthouse at 8:55. Darryl was waiting for us just outside the building. He looked at me, then Chris, then back to me.

"They want me to walk you inside to show you where you'll be seated. You'll be close to the front, but not in the first row, in fact, I think you're in the third row," he told me as we walked into the courtroom. I looked around, and then Alex came out near the witness stand. He saw me come in, and stopped dead in his tracks. He had an icy glare pointed at me, and I shivered. I hadn't seen him since that night, almost three months ago. I shivered at the memory. Darryl gave me a gentle nudge and we continued on to our seat in the third row. I sat in between Darryl and Chris. Chris had his arm across my lap, and I held onto it. I looked at him; he was glaring at the man who had dared to injure me. It almost looked creepy to see him that way. I put my hand on his chest, and he looked at me, the glare gone. He nodded at me, indicating he was okay. I laid my head on his shoulder, feeling safe, even with the psycho in the room. He laid his head down on top of mine, making me feel even safer, like nothing could get me here. Not even Alex.

When the trial ended, Alex was convicted of murder and ended up with thirty years in prison without chance of parole. I breathed a sigh of relief that it was over, that I would never see the son of a bitch again. I gathered my purse and jacket, and stood up, looking at Chris, his eyes wide, looking behind me. I looked at him, confused.

"What?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. Then a chill ran down my spine when I heard a certain voice right behind me.

"Well, if it isn't Cara, and her boyfriend," Alex said, looking from me to Chris. I nearly fell over trying to back away from him. "Don't you want a kiss good-bye, baby?" he asked, his lips puckering. He looked at Chris, then. "Or maybe the little whore wants you, you freak!" he spat at Chris. Chris rushed him, but Darryl held him back. They pulled Alex out of the room by the arm, his hands behind his back in cuffs. Chris calmed down when he saw how scared I was by seeing Alex so close again. Darryl backed off, and Chris came to me and looked into my eyes, concern in his features. He took my hand softly.

"Come on, let's get you out of here," he said, softly. We left the building and got into the car, neither of us speaking about what happened back there. We got to P3, and went to our rooms. He came to mine, wearing a normal t-shirt and jeans.

"I'm sorry," he said, forcing me to stop what I was doing. I turned around and looked at him. "I didn't mean to make you angry. I just couldn't take what that bastard said, and...I'm so sorry," he said, a tear escaping from the corner of his eye. I shook my head, a saddened expression on my face, and took his hand, sitting him down on the bed next to me.

"You don't have anything to apologize for. I would've attacked him myself, if I hadn't been so afraid of him," I said. He pulled me into the safety of his arms, and I instantly felt better. I looked up at him, then, his eyes were so full of love and adoration, I couldn't help but feel bad that I had, in a way, rejected his confession. It would be a lie if I told him, though. I couldn't do that to him, it wouldn't be fair to either of us. I leaned in, slowly, feeling his breath on mine as our lips connected.


End file.
